Tight end Dion Sims names five favorites
ESPN 150 Watch List talent Dion Sims told affiliate Web site, "Ohio State, Miami, Tennessee, Georgia and UCLA are my top five for football."
He added, "Michigan and Michigan State are in there, but not in my top five. They've all offered."
Sims is also a highly regarded basketball prospect with offers from Kent State, Penn State and Iowa.

Expectations of a much better offense are floating around, but a successful offense starts up front.

Without a strong offensive line, it doesn't matter who plays quarterback, running back or wide receiver if there is no time to throw and no holes to run through. Naturally, that makes the offensive line the most important part of the rebuilding movement to get Miami back to the top of the mountain.

That being said, if there is a real strength on the University of Miami offense, it would be the offensive line, but only to an extent.

While the unit is improved from last year, it's also a unit that has a similar problem to that of the defensive line: little depth.

The only difference at this point is that the offensive line has no injuries among the starters at the present time while the defensive line is suffering.

Even better, they all played in the Spring for the most part.

Offensive tackle is probably the strongest position at the present time because there are essentially three starters in Jason Fox, Reggie Youngblood and Chris Rutledge.

On the inside, senior Xavier Shannon will be in charge of the line at center. Next to him will be a pair of young, but talented guards in Orlando Franklin and Joel Figueroa.

As a unit, the offensive line is arguably the best line the 'Canes have had in since 2004.

However, the unit has no depth and no incoming freshmen to count on either as Northwestern offensive linemen Ben Jones and Brandon Washington have still not qualified to date making picking up solid offensive linemen in the 2009 recruiting class a must.

Senior Tyrone Byrd will be an option at tackle in the event of an injury, but Byrd's career at UM has been a big disappointment after so much was expected of him as a young player.

Redshirt freshman Harland Gunn is an option at guard in the event of injury, but he has no experience having redshirted his freshman season. However, the redshirt freshman has gotten bigger and stronger over the past year and could surprise people. His explosion off the ball makes him a player to watch in the future.

Backing up Shannon will likely be Tyler Horn or Matt Pipho. Neither one has much experience, but with future potential being something the coaches must look at, Horn seems like the natural choice to step in for Shannon if needed. However, going from a two-year starter, albeit at FIU, to a player that's never gotten onto the field in his career would be a major blow to the unit.

Pipho also took reps at guard late in the Spring making him a more likely candidate to be a back up at guard along with A.J. Trump. Trump was a highly touted lineman out of high school, but he suffered an ACL injury as a redshirt freshman and has been unable to get in the mix since then. He only played in one game as a redshirt sophomore, the opener against Marshall, but is finally healthy and maybe can live up to his high school hype.

No matter what, if healthy, this unit can be one that does great things and will be what gets Miami wins that it failed to last year. However, if injuries start coming, with little experience from the backups, it could get ugly.

dominique allen and marsalis teague are learning as much through their very different recruiting travails.

Allen, a 5-foot-11, 235-pound fullback, committed to tennessee in april.

Teague, a versatile 5-10, 175-pound athlete, is no where close to announcing his decision as he continues to evaluate several schools.

"right now, i haven't narrowed the field down," said teague, who is the news sentinel's fourth-best prospect in the state. "just kind of cruising along, just trying to see who's out there. Then i'll make a decision."

the difference in their recruiting journeys is the only difference between them. The two prospects from henry county high school in paris are close, lifelong friends.

"marsalis and i have known each other all our lives," allen said. "we're brothers. I love marsalis to death. Throughout this recruiting process, we've talked about life choices and life decisions.

"we look out for each other."

that's a sentiment not lost on tennessee's coaches, who would love to land the paris pair for their 2009 class. However, both readily admit that there's no package deal in the works.

"it would be really cool if we did go to school together," teague said. "but, then again, i have to do what's best for me. Only i can make that decision for me."

said allen, "he's really considering tennessee as one of the top choices. Marsalis is looking for the school that's best for him. I'm not trying to make him come to tennessee. I want him to choose what's best for him."

teague's best will come from a list of strong candidates. Ut, miami, clemson, michigan, georgia tech, ole miss and vanderbilt have been showing the most interest.

Teague visited georgia tech, miami, clemson, vanderbilt and georgia this summer, yet there is no timetable to make a decision. Official visits this fall seem likely before any announcement is made.

"i'm trying to see all the schools before i make my decision," he said.

Teague could play receiver or defensive back in college, as evident by his gaudy stats last season. Teague ran for 1,639 yards and 16 touchdowns on 151 carries and threw for 1,355 yards and 17 touchdowns with a 60-percent completion percentage while playing quarterback.

Defensively, teague forced two fumbles and intercepted three passes even as teams threw away from the star cornerback.

"on the field," allen said, "he can do things most people can't do."

allen should know, considering how inseparable the two athletes have become. When teague returns from a visit to a prospective college, allen is the first person teague will call with a full report.

The two are in the process of planning a trip to knoxville in the next few weeks. Allen will be much more than just an interested observer.

"no doubt," allen said, "i would love for us to play together in college."

That's the motto of the 2008 Hurricanes, thanks to linebacker Glenn Cook.

Cook distributed green-and-orange rubber wristbands that each read on the top, in big block letters, `No excuses.' On the back is a simple `U' logo.

Every coach and player has one.

And wears it every day.

"Cook had that idea, and I think it's great," linebacker Colin McCarthy said. "We got in a little meeting as teammates, sat down together, and we'd always been trying to get that kind of thing to continually remind us. This kind of gives us that hint – if you've got something to say, keep your mouth shut and just work. That's what we're focused on: Not making excuses and just winning."

Players say there was too much questioning of who made mistakes here and there last year and why things were breaking down.

That contributed to a 5-7 record.

Now there are, well, no more excuses.

"Over the years it's been one thing or the other – there's no excuses anymore," receiver Khalil Jones said. "Not whether a guy's hurt. It's no excuses. Just get the job done at the end of the day. Get to workouts, to class, get that `W.'

"Not only on the field, but off the field you tell yourself `No excuses.' When you make a decision you have to think if it's positive or negative. It's a great slogan."

Tight end Chris Zellner adds, "The wrist band is what it says – no excuses. We've always had excuses for why we missed the block or why we missed the tackle. Now there is no excuse, you know? Make the play. If you're there, make it. If the ball hits your hands, catch it."

What happens if somebody forgets to put on their wristband in the morning?

The deck seems stacked against the defensive line in several respects entering the season.

This is a team that finished outside the nation's top 30 in run defense last year and saw Calais Campbell leave early and also graduated its most consistent tackle, Teraz McCray. Combine that with end Courtney Harris and tackle Josh Holmes going down with injuries that could keep them out all year, and with end Allen Bailey suffering a torn pec that might force him to miss the start of the season, and things appear somewhat bleak.

But there are positive signs.

And perhaps no moreso than the change at the top. First year defensive coordinator Bill Young turned Kansas into a top 10 rushing defense last year. And he says this Cane defense has more raw talent than he had there.

The line will be anchored by returning starter Eric Moncur, who had nine tackles for losses and 5.5 sacks at end last year. Battling to start opposite him in fall camp will be Adewale Ojomo and Steven Wesley. True freshman Andrew Smith will also try to factor in. But once Bailey returns to health, look for him to get most of the playing time. He was unstoppable in the spring, making a smooth transition from linebacker. His strength levels are off the chart, and he moves extremely well for a 290-pounder. With him out Ojomo seems the likely choice - he was named the Scout Team MVP last year while redshirting. But it certainly will be a key for UM to get Bailey healthy and back in the lineup.

The production at tackle is somewhat of an uncertainty entering the season. Coaches rotated several tackles into games next to McCray last year, but none got the job done consistently. Antonio Dixon appears a lock for one starting job, but his conditioning has always been a question mark and it's unlikely he will be able to go the majority of the snaps in a game. The team had hoped Holmes would step up and become a force, but he suffered a leg injury this spring. That leaves the only experienced players as Joe Joseph, Chaz Washington and Dwayne Hendricks, none of whom have been able to get things done when they've played in games. Joseph started five games last year but didn't show big-time playmaking ability; Hendricks started three games before going down with an injury; and Washington didn't do much when he got in but had the best spring of the three.

The competition between them will be intense this fall. And don't be surprised if true freshman Marcus Forston works his way into the rotation, as he had a strong spring and has gotten some first team reps already. And incoming freshmen Jeremy Lewis and Micanor Regis will also have a chance to play right away given the quality depth concerns at this position. If either of them show they are physically ready and understand the scheme, they could be pressed into immediate action

With a more aggressive defense anticipated under new coordinator Bill Young, there will be more pressure than ever on the defensive backs. And it remains a big question as to whether this group is up to the challenge, since there were numerous breakdowns last season.

The good news is that safety, despite the loss of Kenny Phillips, should be a solid position behind returning veterans Lovon Ponder, Randy Phillips and Anthony Redd*ck (who is coming back from injury). All have starting experience. And there's decent depth with up-and-coming youngsters Jared Campbell and JoJo Nicolas. Ryan Hill has also moved to safety from receiver -he was originally recruited as a cornerback. It remains to be seen if he can make an immediate impact at the new position.

Cornerback is more of an issue for the Canes. There is experience, but not much proven play-making ability.

Defensive backs coach Wesley McGriff says he wants two corners to step up and that he will use them throughout games unless they ask for a rest. Going into the fall it appears to be a three-player battle between Chavez Grant, Bruce Johnson and Demarcus Van Doke. Carlos Armour didn't keep up in the spring and will need to raise his game if he wants to play a meaningful role this season.

It's important Miami find some answers at cornerback, because this was an area that suffered some costly breakdowns last season. If there are more breakdowns in fall drills or early in the season, look for newcomers like Brandon Harris to be thrown into the fire.

Linebacker should be a position of strength for the Hurricanes. Colin McCarthy, Darryl Sharpton, Glenn Cook, Romeo Davis and Spencer Adkins have started games at UM, and the depth is solid based on the strong spring performances of freshmen Sean Spence and Arthur Brown.

McCarthy is the team's top returning tackler, and if he can stay injury-free he should be the leader of the defense. He had 68 tackles, 12 for losses, a year ago.

Sharpton was hampered by injury last season but is a playmaker when 100 percent, and he still managed 46 tackles, seven for losses, in 2007.

A big addition isn't a newcomer: Senior Glenn Cook, who redshirted last year due to injury, is like another coach on the field. He will make sure the defense is in the right alignment and constantly be on guys to make the correct adjustments during games and in practices.

Davis and Adkins have struggled at times when given prominent roles, and Davis is coming off a medical redshirt. But they provide experienced depth.

The likely starters are McCarthy, Sharpton and Cook, but competition will be fierce in fall camp. Spence was a first-teamer in the spring with McCarthy out with injury, and he is almost certain to play as a true freshman. Players says Spence combines the smarts of Cook with the athleticism of a Roger McIntosh. Brown is also likely to play right away, as he can contribute at linebacker and on special teams.

Aside from Brown and Spence, there are several other incoming freshmen linebackers who hope to show they're ready for immediate playing time.

cant wait to see how the defense looks, bill young will incorporate alot of zone blitzes to keep offenses confused. he had kansas players lookin godly imagine what he'll do with bigger, faster, stronger athletes:wow:

"So why is Lowery making the decision on August 1? Beyond the fact it’s the first day of practice, University of Miami defensive line coach Clint Hurtt has told him that the Hurricanes are taking only two defensive tackles.

Miami already has a commitment from Luther Robinson leaving one spot open.

“I asked coach Hurtt to give me until August 1st,” Lowery said. “He told me they are only taking two defensive tackles. They already got one, Luther Robinson. I don’t want to get stuck like Lamar Miller did. Coach Hurtt told me he told Lamar Miller the same thing that they were taking two running backs only and now he’s out because he didn’t make a decision. Hurtt promised me they wouldn’t recruit another defensive tackle as long as they had a decision by August 1st from me. After that it’s fair game, so I am announcing my decision August 1st.”